Ternate SAR Evacuates 142 Passengers from Ship Aground in Oba, North Maluku

The Ternate Search and Rescue Office evacuated 142 passengers from KM Bunda Maria after the vessel ran aground upon striking land or an island in the waters off Oba, Tidore Islands, North Maluku, on Friday.

Head of the Ternate Search and Rescue Office, Iwan Ramdani, said his office received a report that KM Bunda Maria had run aground after the ship experienced an incident in the waters off Oba.

“KM Bunda Maria departed from Ternate bound for Babang Port and ran aground in the waters off Oba, Tidore Islands. The ship’s crew then reported the incident to Basarnas to request SAR assistance,” said Iwan.

He said all passengers sailing from Bastiong Port in Ternate to Babang Port in South Halmahera Regency were successfully evacuated to Ahmad Yani Port in Ternate in safe condition.

“The data collection recorded 142 passengers on board and all were in safe condition. We then carried out handling and ensured the evacuation process proceeded safely,” he said.

The joint SAR team also monitored the condition of KM Bunda Maria, which remained aground while the handling process was underway.

The ship’s condition subsequently improved after the tide rose, allowing KM Bunda Maria to free itself from its grounded position.

To ensure the journey proceeded safely, KN SAR 237 Pandudewanata escorted KM Bunda Maria until it arrived at Ahmad Yani Port in Ternate.

Iwan said all passengers were then handed over to the relevant parties at Ahmad Yani Port for data collection and further handling.

“All passengers successfully returned to Ternate in safe condition. There were no fatalities and no one was reported missing,” he said.

In the operation, 142 people were recorded as safe, with no fatalities and no victims still being searched for.

Iwan added that the SAR operation was declared complete after all passengers were successfully evacuated and KM Bunda Maria arrived safely in Ternate.